**The Catholic Church protected it and very carefully proclaimed, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, what needed to be in the NT. And yes, the Church authorized what books would be part of the canon.**
Egypt preserved the witness of God (Abraham, and later Jacob) from famine.
The king of the Philistines preserved the witnesses of God (Abraham, then Isaac) from famine.
Elijah was preserved from famine by ravens, then a Gentile widow.
The Christ child was preserved from death threat by being hidden in Egypt.
And Joseph Smith found the protected Golden Plates.